The present invention relates to an arrangement for an instrument panel for motor vehicles which is located in front of the vehicle operator in the passenger compartment to mount various instrument panel components such as an instrument display module and a control board module.
Conventionally, an instrument panel is mounted to a vehicle body by using screws, threaded bolts or quick fasteners which can be used repeatedly for assembling rand, later, for removing for servicing and recycling purposes. Access to such fasteners is typically gained from the reverse side of the instrument panel, but the worker often experiences some difficulty in reaching the fasteners because the access is not always favorable.
This increases the cost of the vehicle due to the increase in the amount of assembly work that is required. Such fasteners are often more difficult to unfasten than fasten, and it means an even more increased difficulty in unfastening them for servicing purposes. Also, due to the increased awareness of the need for environmental protection, component parts made of different materials are required to be separated into different groups for the convenience of recycling, and it has become a major concern to facilitate the work in separating component parts for recycling.
In view of such problems of the prior art, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an instrument panel arrangement for motor vehicles which is easy to assemble.
A second object of the present invention is to provide an instrument panel arrangement for motor vehicles which is easy to disassemble.
A third object of the present invention is to provide an instrument panel arrangement for motor vehicles which is adapted for recycling.
A fourth object of the present invention is to provide an instrument panel arrangement for motor vehicles which is easy to assemble and disassemble but discourages an attempt to disassemble by an unauthorized person.
According to the present invention, such objects can be accomplished by providing an instrument panel arrangement for motor vehicles, comprising: a first member integrally attached to a vehicle body; and a second member integrally attached to the first member, the first and second members being permanent fixtures to the vehicle body associated with an instrument panel; the second member being attached to the first member via a latch mechanism including a latch member engaging the first member to the second member and a handle member for selectively disengaging the latch member. Typically, the first member comprises a vehicle body member, and the second member comprises the instrument panel. In this case, the vehicle body member may comprise a member selected from a group consisting of a dashboard panel, a front cross beam, and a component attached thereto. Alternatively, the first member comprises an instrument panel, and second member comprises an instrument panel component.
In either case, both the assembling and disassembling work is simplified, and not only the assembling process is simplified but also the disassembling process for servicing and recycling purposes is simplified.
In the former case, to allow access to the handle member but to prevent unauthorized tampering, the handle member is preferably provided inside an opening provided in the instrument panel, the opening being adapted to be closed by an instrument panel component. Also, to ensure a proper registration and a structural integrity, the arrangement may further comprise a locating pin provided to one of the first and second members, and a hole for receiving the locating pin provided in the other of the first and second members.
In the latter case, to aid the assembling and disassembling work, the arrangement may further comprise a guide mechanism for guiding the instrument panel component toward a final position at which the latch mechanism retains the instrument panel component to the instrument panel. The instrument panel component may consist of a member selected from a group consisting of an instrument display module and a control board module. Also, to prevent unauthorized tampering, the guide mechanism for the instrument panel component may be adapted to cause an interference between the instrument panel component and a member selected from a group consisting of a steering wheel and a column shift lever when removing the instrument panel component.